


Ruckus

by prettygirllostt



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Breakfast Club AU, F/M, have you ever noticed Betty holds them all together?, pretty much exactly what it says
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 05:42:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15333048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettygirllostt/pseuds/prettygirllostt
Summary: Betty, Archie, Veronica, Jughead and Kevin are all in Saturday detention. Will they bond? Will they hate each other? Read and find out.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to do a Breakfast Club AU. I hope you like it.
> 
> Unedited right now but I'll go back and fix it later.

BETTY Cooper had never been in detention. Especially not Saturday detention. She bit her lip as she walked into the school, smiling at Archie Andrews as he jumped out of his dad’s truck.

“Hey Bets,” he greeted. “You doing okay?”

She shrugged. “I’m fine,” she lied. He grinned and threw his arm over her shoulders. She wished he wouldn’t. She wished he’d see her the way she wanted. But he never did and she let herself believe it was okay.

“We’ll be okay,” he said. “It’s just one day.” 

 

VERONICA Lodge pursed her lips as she watched Archie and Betty walk into the school ahead of her. Ever since her father’s incarceration she’d been a pariah. She doubted it would be any different now. Before, she never would have considered detention as a place she could be but her plans had been derailed with her father’s problems. She sighed heavily and trudged into the school, heels clicking and purse clutched to her side. 

 

JUGHEAD Jones pulled up to the school on his motorcycle and reminded himself that he needed to stay at Northside High if he wanted to go to college. Southside High might be closer, but Northside looked better on transcripts. He could make it through one Saturday detention if it meant better schooling. He pulled on his beanie and squared his shoulders before heading into the building. 

 

KEVIN Keller didn’t know how he’d gotten here. Not really. He understood the mechanics of it, of course, but he didn’t know how he’d let his life get so out of hand that he’d gotten a detention for it. He didn’t even know why he’d done it. He tuned out his father’s voice as he got out of the car and duly walked inside. 

 

WEATHERBY looked out over the eclectic group of kids and reminded himself that retirement was only 10 years away. He had a flask in his office that was calling his name and he waited until the last kid sat to speak.

“This is Saturday detention! There will be no talking. No homework, and no funny business. You’re all here because of something you did. You will each write one essay explaining why you are here and what you learned which you will hand in at the end of the day. I’ll be back to check on you but other than that, stay quiet!” he said firmly. 

They had all sat at different study desks in the library and they blinked at him in various states of contempt. He gave them a curt nod before stalking out of the room, turning at the last moment to snap, “And no leaving!” 

When he’d been gone for a few minutes, Archie turned in his seat to talk to Betty. 

“Did you bring anything to do?” he asked.

“We’re supposed to be quiet,” she admonished and he sighed. 

“What about you?” he asked Kevin. Kevin blinked.

“Wha...what?” Kevin stuttered.

“Did you bring anything to do?” Archie repeated.

“We’re supposed to write an essay,” Kevin said.

Archie snorted.

“Leave him be,” Veronica said, her hair falling in her face and blocking Archie from seeing her red painted lips. 

Archie grinned and Betty winced. Once upon a time, Archie had been a good person. He’d been a lot like his friendly dog, Vegas. Happy to be there and ready for anything. But 3 years on the football team had changed him. His friendship with Reggie and Moose had made him cruel. 

“Or what?” Archie asked, leaning across his desk. 

“Or I’ll shove my pencil somewhere it shouldn’t be,  _ Archiekins _ ,” Veronica snapped back. Betty hid her smile behind her hands.

“I think we should just do the work and go home,” Betty offered, trying to keep the peace. 

“Of course you do,” Jughead said, his beanie pulled slightly over his eyes. “Big date tonight, blondie?” 

Betty shot him a withering stare. “I’d just rather not spend all my time in detention,” she snapped.

“I’m with Betty,” Kevin said, his cheeks tinting pink when Betty looked over at him.

“Don’t talk to her,” Archie snapped.

“You don’t decide who I talk or don’t talk to, Archie,” Betty said, though the words lacked much bite. 

“Hear, hear,” Veronica said. 

“I’m just going to write my essay,” Betty decided. “Then this whole day will be over with.” The last bit was added in a mutter. She pulled out a notebook, ignoring Archie’s groan that he had to hand write an essay, and began to write. 

She felt Jughead’s eyes on her but didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking up. She looked at her paper and made sure to keep her eyes straight ahead. She just wanted this to be done. 

 

JUGHEAD was pretty sure he didn’t want to piss off Betty Cooper. When he’d spoken, her eyes had flashed and there had been a thrill there. One he’d never seen before. He wasn’t afraid of Archie but Betty? He had a feeling she could take him if he bumped into her in a dark alley. He knew for sure he didn’t want to find out. Betty Cooper was the school golden girl. Pretty, kind, smart, and the perfect Riverdale Vixen, she was the light to Cheryl Blossoms’ dark which was probably why it was Betty sitting here and not Cheryl. The cousins seemed to take turns in everything, it seemed only logical that it was Betty’s turn to be in trouble. He watched her write, noticing that the longer he stared, the harder she pressed down. Finally, he gave her a break and looked away. Veronica was doodling penises on her paper and Kevin was writing quickly, his handwriting choppy lines of letters. Archie was watching Veronica, something akin to interest in his face. 

Jughead was feeling mischievous.

He balled up some small pieces of paper and began throwing them at the back of Betty’s head. At first she didn’t turn but when she did he could see the person she hid under such a perfect exterior. There was fire in her eyes. He grinned.

“Stop it!” she snapped.

“I didn’t do anything!” he replied, his grin giving him away.

“I told you to leave her alone,” Archie warned.

“She’s not your property, Andrews,” Jughead drawled, rolling his head to look at Archie. “She can do what she wants. And so can I.”

“Oh yeah?” Archie asked, standing so quickly his chair fell backwards. Kevin’s eyes darted to the door as Betty rushed to step between them.

“Stop it. Both of you. Archie. Sit down. It’s fine,” she said firmly, pushing on Archie’s chest. He stepped back but didn’t break eye contact with Jughead. Jughead shook his head and relaxed. 

“Can we just do our work?” Veronica asked, sounding bored.

“You haven’t done anything,” Jughead pointed out.

Veronica smiled. “Exactly. Come on, Holden Caulfield, do your worst.”  

Kevin snorted but continued writing. Archie sat down and after a moment, Betty did too. Jughead watched them both for a moment before slipping down in his seat and closing his eyes.

 

IT had only been an hour and Veronica was bored to tears. She’d already decided she wasn’t doing the assignment and her paper was now filled with doodles. She contented herself by watching Archie. She would never admit it to the neanderthal quarterback, but he was fun to look at. His muscles moved in his T-shirt and when he didn’t open his mouth she could pretend he was perfect. 

Her gaze flitted to Betty, a half sneer on her face. Betty had never done anything to her and had even yelled at her cousin for some particularly bad insults, but that didn’t mean Veronica considered them friends. Veronica was very much an outsider in Riverdale. She suspected Jughead felt the same though for vastly different reasons. Veronica was new to Riverdale the year before and had been cautiously making friends when her father’s downfall had ruined them. Now she was on the outside. Betty was an insider. She was Riverdale royalty. A Blossom without the name. An untarnished piece of gold in the town. She ran the school paper, cheered on the Vixens, and kept up an A average in AP classes. It would be sickening if she wasn’t so nice all the time.

No. It was sickening. But watching Betty step between Archie and Jughead all while calling Archie on his crap left an ache in Veronica’s chest. She wanted friends. Desperately. And not the kind of girls she’d known in New York. No. She wanted Betty “I made you soup because you were out sick” Cooper. Or at least something in that caliber. She watched Betty for a moment before going back to Archie. It was less depressing to watch Archie. 

 

ARCHIE knew he was being a dick. He could tell. But somehow, he couldn’t stop. Once he’d been the good guy. Best friends with Jughead and Betty, though neither acknowledged that anymore. Now he was the jock and he’d let himself bend to fit the mold. He looked around the room and hoped his doubt didn’t show. That’s all he hoped. 

 

ANOTHER hour passed before anyone spoke. Betty had finished her essay and was twiddling her thumbs on her desk. She smiled when Kevin flicked a folded paper triangle across to her. She flipped it back and soon they were in a game. It was going well with hushed giggles and goading, until Jughead stood and approached them. 

Betty looked up, eyes hard, daring Jughead to say anything. 

“Can I join?” he asked. 

Hesitantly, Betty nodded and he pulled up a chair in the middle. Betty didn’t watch him, she watched Archie. There was worry in her gaze as Jughead took his turn. Archie stood abruptly and marched to the back of the library where the bathroom was. Betty sighed. 

“Does Archie had a permanent stick up his ass now?” Jughead asked when he was gone. Veronica looked up from her desk in interest. 

“He’s just stressed,” Betty defended.

“I know what stress looks like. He doesn’t need to be that big of an asshole,” Jughead said.

“Like you’re any better,” Betty retorted, though she didn’t mean it. She liked Jughead from what she knew. He was smart, quiet, and he smiled whenever she joked in class. 

“At least Jughead doesn’t roofie girls,” Veronica said.

Betty’s head snapped up. “That is  _ not  _ true!” she said.

Veronica shrugged. “Chuck did it. The whole team was in on it. If he didn’t he at least knew.”

Betty turned red.

“It’s true, Betty,” Kevin said quietly. “They passed the book around. I saw it before Weatherby took it.”

Betty curled her fingers into her palms and felt the bite of her nails in her skin. She shoved back her chair.

“Archie didn’t rape anyone!” she said loudly.

“Bets?” Archie said as he got closer.

“Come on,” she said. “We don’t need to sit here and listen to this.”

She stomped past him, grabbing his shirt as she went and dragging him to the back study corner. The others watched them go. Kevin sighed.

“He didn’t, he’s not in the book. But he knew about it. He had to,” he said.

Veronica nodded gravely. “Chuck put me in there. New girl bonus,” she said.

“That was last year,” Jughead said in surprise.

“I didn’t know until Ethel came forward. He got what was coming to him,” she said primly.

“Is that why you’re in here?” Kevin asked.

Veronica put her finger to her lips. “Good girls don’t tell,” she said with a wink. He smiled at her.

“He deserved it. Any guy who takes advantage of a girl deserves it,” Jughead said firmly. Veronica nodded.

“Betty’s just too nice,” Kevin said wistfully. “She’ll stand by Archie because they’ve been friends forever.” 

Veronica and Jughead nodded. They believed it. Betty was too nice. 

 

“ARCHIE Andrews you tell me right now. Did you know about the team roofieing girls?” Betty demanded when they’d gotten out of earshot of the others.

Archie floundered and Betty saw red. She beat at his chest.

“I stood up for you! I told everyone you were one of the good ones! How could you? You know what Jason did to Polly!” Betty cried. 

Archie let her hit him and stayed quiet. He couldn’t tell her why he’d allowed it. Why he hadn’t spoken up. His affair with Ms. Grundy had to be kept quiet at all costs. Even if that meant sacrificing some girl’s reputations. 

Betty was furious. Her sister Polly had been socially ruined by Jason Blossom. Jason, now disowned by his father and no longer heir to the Blossom fortune, had made Polly believe he loved her then left her on the other side of the Sweetwater River as a cruel joke. He’d marked her in the book, 10 points for an “I love you”. Polly still barely left her room. Betty couldn’t believe Archie had known. That he hadn’t told anyone. 

“You stay away from me,” she warned him, her voice shaking. She stepped back and walked in unsteady feet back to the others. 

Veronica stood first when she saw Betty’s face. 

“Come on,” she said, reaching out and taking Betty’s arm. “Girl time.”

 

THE bathroom in the library was a single seat but Veronica locked the door anyway. She perched on the sink as Betty stared blankly into the mirror.

“Jason ruined Polly,” Betty said. “How could he not have said anything?”

“Archie is like...a golden retriever. Sweet, but you gotta blame the owners if it goes bad,” Veronica replied.

Betty looked over at her. “Polly said she thought she was pregnant and she was so happy. A baby with Jason. I’m so glad she wasn’t. Archie knew that…”

“He’s stupid,” Veronica said readily. “Like most boys.” 

“This is beyond stupid, V. It’s cruel. He let me defend him! I made sure he wasn’t expelled!” Betty said, the nickname slipping out. Veronica pretended not to notice it.

“Hey. You’re Betty Cooper. You’re the queen. What you do can always be undone. And I bet Archiekins is feeling it pretty badly right now. You don’t want to be on the Betty blacklist and he knows that. He’ll come crawling back, you’ll see,” Veronica said.

“I was in love with him,” Betty whispered.

Veronica blinked. It had been somewhat obvious but hearing it out loud carried more weight. She jumped off the counter and hugged Betty without a thought.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay,” she said soothingly. 

Betty cried and Veronica held her until she was done. When Betty pulled back she wiped her face in a paper towel and asked Veronica, “Why are you being nice to me?”

Veronica hesitated before responding. “You’re nice to everyone. You take care of everyone and you don’t ask for anything back. You don’t deserve to feel this bad. I’m a firm believe in karma and this is a good deed. Besides, it’s nice to have a friend sometimes.”

Betty looked at Veronica. Really looked. She nodded slowly. “It is good. Thank you, V.”

The name was deliberate this time and Veronica smiled slowly.

“You’re very welcome, B.” 

 

“YOU fucked up,” Jughead told Archie. Since Archie knew that he didn’t bother to respond. “You had a good thing going with Betty. Why didn’t you tell her?”

“It’s none of your business,” Archie said stiffly.

Jughead snorted and Kevin wished to be anywhere but where he was. He might be gay but this was not the kind of threesome he wanted. He looked at the ceiling.

“I think you had a good thing with Betty. Something that could have been more. And anyone would be lucky to have that, but you fucked it up. Over a book. Why?” Jughead said.

“If you want Betty so much, you ask her out,” Archie said defensively. 

Jughead looked up as Betty and Veronica made their way back from the bathroom. Betty’s eyes were red but her face calm and Jughead studied her. 

“Maybe I will,” he said, trying to piss Archie off. 

Archie snorted but said nothing. 

“You okay?” Kevin asked as Betty got closer. 

“Fine, Kev. Thanks,” she said gratefully. She sat down, this time next to Veronica and ignored the surprised boys. The two began to look at something in Veronica’s purse and after a moment of shock, Kevin went back to flicking the paper at Jughead and Archie leaned back in his chair pretending he didn’t care about anything at all. 

 

WHEN lunch came Weatherby told them to eat in silence but once he was gone Betty grabbed her food and brought it to Veronica’s table once more. The two girls chatted as they ate until Jughead noticed that Betty had some kind of fish on her table.

“What is that?” he asked incredulously. 

“It’s sushi,” she replied.

“Raw fish? You won’t kiss a guy with tongue but you’ll eat that?” he blurted before he could think. Betty’s eyes flashed but then she smirked.

“Who says I haven’t kissed with tongue?” 

Jughead didn’t know what to say as Veronica laughed.

“It’s good, want to try?” the brunette purred. Betty offered him a piece and he shook his head, his lip curling.

“What made you two best friends?” Archie asked rudely.

“The bonds of true feminism know no bounds,” Veronica breezed. Betty smiled and bit into her fish. Jughead shivered but dug into his three sandwiches. Betty and Veronica watched him but said nothing. 

“I get hungry,” he said around a mouthful.

“We so didn’t ask,” Veronica said doubtfully. 

Archie had two sodas, four sandwiches, and two bags of chips but no one spoke to him. He sighed and ate while Kevin pulled out a thermos of soup and made a face as he smelled it. 

Betty wordlessly handed him a container. He opened it and smiled, seeing a regular ham and cheese inside. 

“Still?” he asked. He and Betty hadn’t sat together at lunch since freshman year but she used to bring him a sandwich knowing he hated his lunch.

She shrugged. “Old habits die hard,” she said. 

The rest of the group was watching her. There were 3 more hours in the day. They didn’t know what was coming. 


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After lunch, things get deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! I ran through this wicked fast but I love it :)

AFTER lunch, Archie wandered up into the atrium of the library. It had an open skylight and he laid on his back on one of the tables and took in the sky. When Veronica boosted up next to him, he blinked.

“You messed up, Friday Night Lights,” she told him.

“I don’t need this,” he said, sitting up. She put her palm on his chest and shoved him back.

“No. You’re going to listen. I don’t know what kept you from telling Betty but you just lost a good thing. Which I think you know. Which begs the question, why? What could possibly matter more than Betty Cooper? She’s like the sun of Riverdale high. And she loved you. You might be dumb, Archibald, but you aren’t that dumb. Something’s up,” she said.

“Why does it matter to you?” he asked.

“I like Betty. I’d like to keep being her friend beyond this day. Which means I need to take care of her. So. What was so important you kept this secret?” she asked again.

Archie frowned furiously. “You think Betty will even look at you after today? You think bonding now means anything on Monday?” 

Veronica blinked. She hid her hurt with a hard smile. “Maybe not, but even if it doesn’t happen, I want to help her. She’s been nice to me.” 

Archie sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m a dick. I know.”

“Yeah, you are. Why?” she asked, leaning back when it had become apparent Archie wasn’t going to try to flee again. 

“I can’t say,” he said, sounding frustrated.

“Oh Archiekins, whatever have you done?” Veronica murmured, patting his arm. He looked tortured, his red hair falling in his eyes. He shrugged and let Veronica soothe him. He knew he didn’t deserve it but he wanted it. He truly wanted it. 

 

JUGHEAD decided that his joking with Archie might actually have held more weight than he’d originally thought. He liked Betty. He always had. When they were younger, they’d gone to Archie’s birthday parties together. They’d all drank milkshakes after football games together and once, they’d seen Alice Cooper kissing a man dressed as Santa Claus together. That particular detail Jughead had decided to ignore but the rest still stood. He liked Betty. She was smart. She was beautiful. She was kind. She had never looked at Jughead in disgust like some of the other northsiders. She’d always laughed when he muttered under his breath in english and once she’d even tried to get him to join the school paper. Watching her fold paper into dainty cranes, he decided to talk to her. He shot a glance at Kevin who had his head down on his desk and slowly, he approached her.

“Hi,” he said carefully. 

She looked up, confusion creasing her brow before she smiled slightly. “Hi.”

“I like your birds,” he said. He knew how stupid he sounded and he winced as her smile warmed.

“Want me to show you how?” she asked. He looked indecisive so she patted the seat beside her and he flopped into it almost without a thought. She showed him the paper and began to murmur instructions. Jughead watched her slim fingers in awe until Kevin hissed,

“Weatherby!”

Jughead fell under the desk as the first set of library door opened. Veronica skidded into her seat with Archie right behind her. Jughead was crammed beneath the desk and Weatherby looked around the room with a sneer.

“It seems we’re missing Mr. Jones,” he said.

“He’s in the bathroom,” Kevin said quickly. 

The others nodded as Jughead tried to shift under the desk. His hat caught Betty’s skirt and lifted it. She squealed, shoving her hand under the desk to smooth it back down.

Weatherby looked at her.

“Sorry,” she said, “Bug.” 

He nodded, his lip curling, before turning, “Keep quiet,” he reminded them as he headed towards the doors.

Jughead, his knee at a weird angle, tried to shift once more and this time caught sight of Betty’s black lace underwear. She stomped on his hand and he choked.

Weatherby turned quickly, glaring at them.

“I heard something,” he said.

“I didn’t,” Veronica said quickly.

“Me either,” Betty said, blue eyes wide and innocent. 

“I heard a ruckus,” Weatherby said.

“Could you describe the ruckus?” Kevin asked. 

Archie tried not to laugh, turning the sound into a cough. Quickly, Betty coughed too and Veronica followed suit.

“Is that the ruckus you heard?” Betty asked.

Weatherby studied them all slowly.

“They don’t pay me enough for this,” he muttered before leaving the library. When he was gone, Betty kicked Jughead, punching his back as he crawled out from under her desk.

“It was an accident!” he said, holding his hands up. “Accident! I promise!”

She stopped, a smile beginning to curve on her face. “Oh, fine,” she said. 

Soon she was laughing. Veronica followed then Kevin and soon, even Archie had joined in. 

“Come on,” Archie said. “I have something I think we’ll all like.” 

 

THE group sat in the atrium, a small bag of gummy bears between them. Betty pressed one between her fingers dubiously. 

“Good girl Cooper never had pot?” Jughead teased lightly.

Betty caught his gaze and bit into the bear defiently. He grinned and took one himself.

“Where did you get these?” Kevin asked as he ate his second one.

“Only ones they didn’t get out of my locker when they went through it,” Archie said with a shrug. 

“You got caught with drugs? Archie Andrews! Whatever will we do with you?” Veronica teased.

“That’s not why he’s here,” Betty said sourly. 

The tension grew as Betty and Archie stared at one another.

“Betty dressed up in lingerie and a wig and tied Chuck to the flagpole. She got caught running away,” Archie said. 

Jughead and the others blinked at Betty. Her cheeks went red before her face seemed to go completely white.

“Archie taped Dougie’s butt cheeks together and wouldn’t rat out his friends,” Betty spat.

“You’re the one who did that?” Kevin asked in a whisper.

“I thought you were the one who fucked Chuck over?” Jughead asked Veronica. Veronica shrugged.

“No, V got thrown under the bus because Cheryl said something about her dad and V took a swing at her. I tried to explain it to Weatherby, V. He just wouldn’t listen,” Betty said, her begging obvious. Veronica smiled warmly at Betty.

“I believe you. It’s okay,” she said.

“You dressed up and tied Chuck to the flagpole?” Jughead asked.

Betty smiled sharply. “Naked.”

Jughead began to laugh. “That’s amazing,” he said.

Betty blushed, this time not from shame. Archie looked between them and set his jaw. “What did you do, Jughead?”

“None of your business, Andrews,” Jughead replied, his eyes still on Betty. 

“Did you deal on campus? Tag the courtyard?” Archie pushed.

“Archie! Stop!” Betty admonished. Jughead laughed coldly.

“It’s fine, Betty. No. I didn’t do either of those things. Do you really think a serpent tagged the school? That would be dumb. It’s so dumb in fact, only your friends could have possibly done it. No. I took the fall but I didn’t do it,” Jughead said. 

Archie looked annoyed as Betty leaned forward.

“I’m sorry, Jug,” she said. “That’s so unfair.” 

Jughead shrugged. “I’m from the Southside. It’s not like I expect much better.”

“But you should. You’re still a person,” Betty said furiously.

Kevin was grateful they’d moved on. He didn’t want to tell them what he’d done to get detention. He shifted in his seat. Veronica didn’t miss the move but she was much more interested in whatever was happening between Betty and Jughead. 

Jughead was seeing Betty through new eyes. She wasn’t just the nice girl from english anymore. She was something more. Something brighter. Every time she spoke, he found another thing he liked about her. He might be in real danger if he didn’t check it. She smiled at him, encouraging and kind and felt his heart stutter. 

“Thank you,” he said. 

“It’s not something you should thank me for. It should be normal,” she said. There was a spark in her eyes that Jughead wanted to chase. He leaned forward. 

“I agree,” he said. 

“Can we move on? Keller, what did you do?” Archie asked loudly.

Betty’s eyes widened and Kevin knew in one sickening moment that she knew. He shook his head and she kept her mouth shut, her eyes dropping to her lap. The motion was only missed by Archie, who leaned in.

“Well? What could the Sheriff’s son possibly have done to end up here? I thought you were a golden child,” he pushed.

“Leave him alone, Archie! He doesn’t have to tell us if he doesn’t want to,” Betty said, her voice sharp. She hadn’t wanted her secret shared and she wouldn’t do that to Kevin.

“No, I want to know. He knows what we all did. So tell us. What did you do? Or who?” Archie leered.

He knew he’d gone too far when Veronica punched his arm but it was too late. The blood had drained from Kevin’s face and he looked up, his eyes blank.

“I stole my dad’s gun and brought it to school. Not to hurt anyone but to...kill myself,” Kevin said slowly.

Archie froze. He didn’t know what to say. None of them did.

“Kev…” Betty said mournfully. He shrugged.

“My dad expects so much, you know? And my mom isn’t around. He pretends I’m not...me. I do everything I can to be what he wants but it isn’t enough. I just wanted it to stop. Slow down. I thought...no one would be in the school after Vixen practice. I could do it in the janitor’s closet. Less mess, you know? But someone saw me put it in and Weatherby went through my locker...my dad got me detention and community service. Another favor for the Sheriff,” he said bitterly. 

Betty moved closer and put her arm around him. “I didn’t know, Kev,” she said.

“You couldn’t. We aren’t friends anymore, are we?” he asked, his voice harder than he meant it to be.

“I didn’t mean….”

“I know you didn’t. It happens. But no one knew. I just needed it to stop,” Kevin said.

After a moment of silence, Veronica said, “I get that. My dad…”

Kevin looked up gratefully. He nodded. “Yeah.” 

Veronica put her hand on his shoulder and the three sat in companionable silence until Jughead broke up.

“I think we’re all fucked up. There’s no such thing as wordly perfection, we just make it up to try and attain something. The perfect school angel has a dark side. The rich girl has struggles. The Sheriff’s son feels alone. The quarterback feels trapped. We’re just making it up as we go, aren’t we?” 

“Who said I feel trapped?” Archie snapped, annoyed that Jughead had hit it right on the head. No one bothered to reply. Betty leaned away from Kevin and looked up at Jughead, her eyes pulling him in. 

“Maybe you’re right, Jug. But what do we do about it?” she asked.

He smiled, his lip curving up more on the right. “Nothing. We just stumble along until we find what makes us happy, then we grab onto it.”

She sucked in a breath. She’d been in love with Archie for years. It had felt like something inevitable. But even Archie had never made her feel like this. Her heart pounded as she looked into Jughead’s intelligent eyes. Maybe what she’d believed to be love was only a plan. Maybe there was more out there. She was starting to see that there was more for her to find out. She was ready for it. 

“Yeah,” she breathed. “I think I agree.”

Veronica watched the two with interest and noticed Archie’s frown.

“Come on, Archiekins, let's take a walk,” she said. Kevin stood too, exhaustion lining his face. Veronica paused and patted his arm.

“I’ll talk to you at school,” she promised him. “We misfits got to stick together.” 

He smiled. “Thanks, V.”

He headed back to his desk and Veronica drew Archie away, leaving Jughead and Betty to stare at one another.  

 

AS the day rounded out, none of them could say what had changed, only that something had. Kevin wiped a tear from his eye as he left a paper on the middle desk. Veronica waited for him at the door and Betty was typing her number into Veronica’s phone. Archie was watching Veronica with new appreciation and Jughead had his serpent jacked swung over his shoulder as he waited for Betty. Whatever had been said with the two had been alone had settled in them. Already, they seemed like one. Kevin found himself eager for Monday. He walked up to them and smiled when Veronica linked her arm with his.

“New days are coming,” she promised. 

He nodded. “I think they are.” 

 

ARCHIE kissed Veronica on the stairs after she’d said goodbye to Kevin. She pushed him back.

“You’re a dick, Archie Andrews,” she said.

“I like you, Veronica Lodge,” he replied.

She stepped back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Prove it.”

Watching her walk away he decided he would. Come Monday, he would.

 

BETTY stood beside Jughead’s motorcycle, appreciation in her eyes. “That’s a Kawasaki Triple. How did you fix it up?” 

“You know bikes?” Jughead asked, hoping his total adoration wasn’t showing through too much.

“My dad and I fix cars and bikes together,” she explained. “I’ve never seen one of them, though.”

“Want a ride?” he asked, glad that he’d said that instead of  _ marry me.  _

She grinned. “Yes. Another day, though. I promised my sister we’d watch a movie today.”

“Promise?” he asked, ducking his head.

She beamed up at him. Carefully, she took out one of her diamond earrings. She pressed it into his hand. He noticed it was in the shape of a duck and he laughed.

“Think of that like a promise,” she said. 

He smiled. “I will.” 

She turned and walked towards her car, smiling over her shoulder once more before she ducked inside. He waited until she was all the way in to climb onto his bike. As he revved out of the parking lot he lifted his fist in triumph.

 


End file.
